CH 60

After their three servants retreated from the private room, the private room quietened down instantaneously. It was so silent that they could only hear their shallow breathing, and some faint wisps of ambiguity drifted through the air.

Wen Ting Zhou stared fixedly at Ruan Xi. Once he thought of the request he wanted to bring up, he could not control the fluttering in his heart.

“Ruan Ruan, I don’t want your embroidered scent sachet, or your embroidered pouch…”

Ruan Xi met Wen Ting Zhou’s scorching hot stare, an inconceivable thought emerging in her heart all of a sudden. Feeling stifled, she lowered her head and raised her teacup to sip the tea, but her ears were gradually stained with a red hue.

“Then, then what kind of gift do you want?”

Wen Ting Zhou’s lips raised even higher upon seeing that. His scorching hot gaze landed on her moist red lips, his eyes becoming more abstruse as a smear of dark fire flashed past.

“I want a kiss, is that allowed?”

I want a kiss…

A kiss……

Hong—

As heat surged up her face, a blush spread across her cheeks, and she looked like a thoroughly cooked shrimp because it was so red it was dripping blood. Ruan Xi tightened her grip on the teacup in her hands, bright eyes widening until they were circular in shape. Then, she barely evaded Wen Ting Zhou’s line of sight as she stammered out:

“W-What did you say?”

“Ruan Ruan, I want a kiss.” Wen Ting Zhou repeated himself in a gentle but resolute manner, his gaze still trained on her without straying once as the mirth in his eyes thickened.

Ruan Xi’s cheeks became even hotter as if it was going to burn up. Her heartbeat continued to soar and she was so nervous she did not know how to respond.

“Ruan Ruan, is my request going too far?” A glint flashed past Wen Ting Zhou’s eyes as a hint of disappointment and dejectedness emerged on his handsome visage.

Ruan Xi held the teacup tighter as she shook her head furiously.

“No, it isn’t going too far, I… I… need a moment to prepare.”

In response, excitement and joy appeared on Wen Ting Zhou’s handsome face. The bottom of his eyes glimmered with laughter from having prevailed, and then he extended his hand to shift aside a strand of hair that had fallen on her face. The tip of finger grazed her red lips momentarily but was reluctant to leave, and there was an unusual hoarse quality to his voice.

“So Ruan Ruan has agreed to it, right?”

His insinuation was extremely obvious.

He wanted a kiss on the lips.

Ruan Xi’s countenance exploded red, her heart beating like a drum as her breathing became slightly erratic. She hastily drank a mouthful of tea to bolster her courage. Wasn’t it just a kiss? She could not back down.

Wen Ting Zhou’s mouth curled up upon seeing that. Ruan Ruan’s act of drinking the tea to bolster her courage looked incredibly cute.

“Ruan Ruan, are you done preparing?”

“Mn.”

Ruan Xi stood up abruptly and walked up to Wen Ting Zhou before she mustered her courage to kiss his warm and thin lips.

She wanted to retreat after a fleeting touch.

However, Wen Ting Zhou was already prepared; the moment Ruan Xi’s kiss landed on his lips, his right hand pressed down on the back of her neck, not allowing her to leave, while his left hand wrapped around her waist. With just one pull, Ruan Xi’s entire body was brought into Wen Ting Zhou’s embrace.

Their lips were slotted together firmly, their breaths intermingled.

Ruan Xi’s entire face was red, and she felt like her whole body was on fire. A smear of dark fire flashed past Wen Ting Zhou’s eyes as he abruptly used more force on her soft lips, gently moving and sucking. The passionate demand made Ruan Xi visibly shudder as tingles spread through her entire body like an electrical pulse. Subconsciously, she returned Wen Ting Zhou’s hug, and started responding to his demands.

Their tongues tangled, moistened with their shared saliva.

It was unknown how much time had passed before the pair finally ended that melodious and moving kiss.

As Wen Ting Zhou tried to even out his rapid breaths, he hugged the warm and tender body in his embrace tightly. He called Ruan Xi’s name softly, his voice low and hoarse.

“Ruan Ruan, I am very happy.”

Ruan Xi buried her head in the crook of his neck shyly, her voice as small as a mosquito. “I, I am the same.”

Wen Ting Zhou chuckled soundlessly, a warm lustre flitting past his pitch-black eyes. Then, he slanted his head and pecked her slightly swollen and red lips.

The blush that had finally receded after much difficulty started climbing up to her cheeks again.

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At this moment, a cacophony of human voices suddenly rang on the streets below the Jixiang Restaurant, and they could vaguely hear the words ‘Ruan san xiaojie’.

“What’s happening downstairs, I seem to hear people talking about san jie.” Ruan Xi changed the topic with a red face.

Wen Ting Zhou relaxed his arms as he smiled gently, “If you want to know, go closer to the window and have a look.”

Ruan Xi was quite curious, so she stood up with Wen Ting Zhou and moved towards the window to look downwards.

Only to see a group of imperial guards escorting an unconscious Ruan san niang as they passed by Jixiang Restaurant on the streets.

Owing to the fact that Ruan san niang was currently unconscious, she was not tied up, but it was still more than enough to attract the spectating gazes of the crowd.

Ruan Xi was visibly dumbstruck.

“This, what is going on exactly?”

Why was Ruan san niang unconscious and being escorted and paraded through the streets, wasn’t that a little too miserable?

From a higher and distant point of elevation, Wen Ting Zhou observed Ruan san niang as she was being lifted away by the imperial guards, his lips hooking up slightly as if he was very pleased to see Ruan san niang being in this sorry plight.

“The Emperor wants to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys.”

The act of being swaggered through the streets was probably the product of the Fourth Prince’s intervention. Ruan san niang had pitted the Fourth Prince a few times in a row, she was just reaping what she sowed.

“Hopefully Ruan san xiaojie will restrain that temper of hers after this.”

Ruan Xi: “……”

Restrain her temper? If Ruan san niang knew that she was being paraded like a monkey, she was probably going to explode in anger.

Once the imperial guards were further away, Ruan Xi quickly called Su Yu, Su Zhu, and Zhang Qing inside.

Once Zhang Qing came in, he immediately sensed that the atmosphere between his gongzi and Ruan si xiaojie seemed to become more intimate, and he could not stop himself from glancing at Ruan si xiaojie. His gaze lingered on her slightly swollen and red lips momentarily, then he looked at his gongzi who was radiating a cheerful and satisfied air from head to toe, and his eyes widened slightly.

Therefore, his gongzi chased them out of the room because he wanted to kiss Ruan si xiaojie?

Wen Ting Zhou seemed to sense something, so he peered at Zhang Qing in a placid manner. Zhang Qing minimised his sense of existence instantaneously.

Towards the small movements traded between the master and servant, Ruan Xi remained completely unaware as she asked her two maidservants for the exact details, to which Su Yu recounted the entire process of the imperial guards arresting and escorting Ruan san niang with much excitement.

The edges of Ruan Xi’s lips jerked.

“She broke her legs again?”

It appears that the Heavens really did not want to let Ruan san niang leave.

“Yeah, the Third Young Lady will probably be met with great hardships this time around.”

Su Yu did not pity the Third Young Lady at all; this was merely the consequences of her own actions.

Ruan Xi smiled briefly, “Not necessarily.”

Wen Ting Zhou smiled slightly as he nodded. “Ruan Ruan speaks correctly, Ruan san xiaojie might have broken her legs from the fall as she was trying to flee, but the Emperor is benevolent, he will definitely dispatch imperial physicians to treat Ruan san xiaojie in the imperial prison.”

Ruan Xi: “…….”

That was not what she meant.

But the Emperor dispatching imperial physicians to treat her… Ruan san niang should not have the audacity to expose her own healing ability, right?

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The current Ruan Xi had forgotten that Ruan san niang was still unconscious, and it was highly likely that she did not know that the imperial physicians would be giving her treatment.

“With an imperial physician treating her, I can set my mind at ease, I hope san jie reflects on herself carefully in the imperial prison.”

If Ruan san niang continued to prance around in such an unbridled manner, she would only get herself implicated.

Noting that it was getting late, Wen Ting Zhou decided to send Ruan Ruan back to her residence, but just as they left their private room, they saw the doors to the private room opposite of theirs opening as well.

A handsome noble son dressed in a brocade robe with two gorgeous-looking women with bewitching figures hanging on his arms walked out.

The noble son in a brocade robe was Marquis Huaiyang Residence’s Qi er gongzi.

Wen Ting Zhou’s eyes glinted.

Ruan Xi clearly noticed the other person too. Qi Yue An, Ruan san niang‘s ex-fiancé, the original owner’s husband in her previous lifetime.

And Qi Yue An definitely saw Ruan san niang being escorted by the imperial guards when they were passing by the Jixiang Restaurant.

Ruan Xi: “……”

This situation was a little awkward.

She wondered if Ruan san niang would explode on the spot if she knew about this.

“Let’s go.” Wen Ting Zhou inclined his head slightly to Qi Yue An before he pulled Ruan Xi’s hand to walk towards the stairs.

Qi Yue An did not expect that he would bump into Wen gongzi and Ruan si xiaojie here.

For reasons unknown to him, he subconsciously released the two bewitching females he was holding before he walked towards the same stairway like gods and demons were at work.

“Wen gongzi, Ruan si xiaojie, what a coincidence.” Qi Yue An smiled with crinkled eyes as he greeted the pair.

Wen Ting Zhou smiled slightly, glancing past the two beauties behind him. “Qi er gongzi must be in a great mood.”

Opening a private room in a restaurant with two brothel women in bright daylight, this was something only a fake silk clothes like Qi Yue An could do.

Ruan Xi thinned her lips into a smile.

Qi Yue An revealed a roguish smile. “Wen gongzi seems to be in a decent mood as well.”

His gaze drifted towards Ruan Xi unconsciously, a hint of dim regret flickering past the bottom of his eyes. When the rumours of the imperial examinations being black screened were spreading like wildfire, Qi Yue An had once thought that if the Wen Family broke off the engagement, he would allow his father to propose a marriage.

It was a pity that they still had no predestined affinity.

Wen Ting Zhou keenly discerned that Qi Yue An was looking at Ruan Ruan with an abnormal gaze. His eyes narrowed as he held onto Ruan Xi’s smaller hand tighter.

“Qi er gongzi, it’s getting late. I need to send Ruan Ruan back to her residence, we will be taking our leave first, farewell.”

Ruan Xi gave Qi Yue An a smile, then she went downstairs with Wen Ting Zhou.

Qi Yue An stood at the staircase entrance stiffly, staring at the departing pair of jade-like people. A faint streak of envy emerged in his heart.

After leaving the restaurant, Wen Ting Zhou ignored the surrounding gazes that were being thrown his way as he told Ruan Xi: “Ruan Ruan, stay away from Qi er gongzi.”

He has other intentions towards you.

Wen Ting Zhou did not say that sentence out loud.

Ruan Xi: “……”

“Qi er gongzi and I have only met once, and said a few sentences to each other, we are not familiar. Since he has broken off the engagement with san jie, we probably won’t be having any intersections in the future.”

Wen Ting Zhou: “……”

Alright then, he had forgotten about that. Perhaps Ruan Ruan and Qi Yue An might never have intersections again, but he could not do that.

Who told him to recommend Qi Yue An to the Fourth Prince in private?

Wen Ting Zhou did not mention Qi Yue An again. In a considerate manner, he sent Ruan Xi back to the Earl Residence, and before leaving, Wen Ting Zhou suddenly threw down a line that had a unique and profound meaning.

“Ruan Ruan, if I’m named the zhuangyuan by the Emperor himself, what kind of request do you think I should make?”

After saying that, Wen Ting Zhou left in a great mood.

Ruan Xi’s heart quivered. She stood there blankly, the image of that intense and sentimental kiss emerging in her mind, and a blush swiftly climbed up to her cheeks.

Su Yu and Su Zhu: “……”

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Inside a clean prison cell in the innermost part of the imperial prison, the unconscious Ruan san niang had already been changed into clean clothes by some maidservants and Mamas, while two imperial physicians were giving the unconscious Ruan san niang treatment.

“Her bones are badly fractured, it needs to be braced with a board.” One imperial physician remarked with a frown.

“There are indications of a break in her bones.” The other imperial physician noted with a heavy expression.

“There was hearsay that this third young lady from Earl Chengyi Residence had broken her legs from a fall more than a month ago, but it seemed like it was a misdiagnosis because it wasn’t that serious in actuality.”

Back then, Ruan san niang‘s prompt-book had gained in popularity so there was a great deal of people paying attention to her. It was still the same now; the continuation to her prompt-books were extraordinarily spectacular, she had made a particularly delicious food called instant noodles, and the two imperial physicians had tasted the instant noodles before.

Hence, they were not unfamiliar with Ruan san niang.

“It should be a misdiagnosis. It hasn’t been a month yet, but Ruan san xiaojie‘s body doesn’t show any severe signs of past injuries.”

“Not only are her injuries serious this time around, it’s also the second time she’s injured herself, she will need at least three to four months to make full recovery.”

After the two imperial physicians were done with this diagnosis, they shook their heads silently in unison.

“Troubling the two imperial physicians to open a prescription for Ruan san xiaojie.” A prison guard in the imperial prison said respectfully.

Although this Ruan san xiaojie was technically an offender, she was more special, and she could not be treated like the other criminals.

The two imperial physicians nodded their heads.

When Ruan san niang woke up, the two imperial physicians were already gone, and only the fire torches in the prison cells were burning.

Once she moved, an intense pain coming from her legs made Ruan san niang release a pained whimper. As tears welled in her eyes, she quickly utilised the healing ability in her system to treat herself.